Local Market Basket customers struggle to adjust to shopping at other stores

Some shoppers have already abandoned Market Basket for the fuller shelves at other stores. At the Stop & Shop on North Montello Street in Brockton Carol Sawyer of Brockton and her sister loaded groceries into their car. “I miss it,” Sawyer said of Market Basket.

Jones mostly bought frozen food and nonperishables. She’ll have to go elsewhere for the bottled water, lettuce, tomatoes and mushrooms she wanted.

While she expected to find the produce shelves bare, Jones said the low costs keep her shopping at the grocery chain during the standoff between workers and the board of directors.

Other stores are too expensive, she said.

“Stop & Shop is too high,” said Jones. “They need to have the store going here.”

Some shoppers have already abandoned Market Basket for the fuller shelves at other stores.

At the Stop & Shop on North Montello Street in Brockton Carol Sawyer of Brockton and her sister loaded groceries into their car.

“I miss it,” Sawyer said of Market Basket. “I think it should come back. I think it’s just greed.”

Sawyer estimated between her and her sister, their groceries would have been $15 cheaper at Market Basket.

Stock at the 71 Market Basket stores in New England have been dwindling for the past three weeks. Warehouse workers and delivery drivers are fighting with the board for ousting beloved CEO Arthur T. Demoulas.

Nicky Davidson, a Brockton resident who usually shops at Market Basket, was at Stop & Shop on Saturday.

“My sister went (to Market Basket) the other day,” said Davidson. “She said the shelves were empty and it was weird being there.”

Her friend Nicole Jones, of Whitman, has taken her business to stores like PriceRite and Save-a-Lot, but Davidson prefers name-brand products like the Sprite in her cart.

“Market Basket had the regular brands at cheap prices,” said Davidson.